My 2012 Cambridge Film Festival experience began on a real high this September when I saw ABOUT ELLY. I recently saw this Iranian film a second time and it made an even bigger impression. Director Asghar Farhadi is better known for his more recent film A SEPARATION, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language … Continue reading About Elly
philip french
A quick look at Monsoon Wedding…
It was a pleasure to see Monsoon Wedding (2001) again on the big screen, courtesy of this month's Screen St Ives presentation, particularly when the audience reaction was so warm and enthusiastic (average audience rating a very strong 4.3 out of 5). In preparation for my brief introduction to the film I checked out the … Continue reading A quick look at Monsoon Wedding…
…some thoughts on Las Acacias…
I saw this film in the cinema at the end of last year; it's now out on DVD. A second viewing has confirmed first impressions: Las Acacias is a perfectly formed, subtle, moving, and heartwarming little gem. Philip French doesn't agree; he flatly dismisses the film in his short Guardian review:- In this widely praised … Continue reading …some thoughts on Las Acacias…
Project Nim
Roger Ebert neatly summarises:- Can a chimpanzee learn to speak by using sign language? Yes. But in what sense does it know what it is saying? "Project Nim," a fascinating documentary, follows the life of a chimp named Nim Chimpsky as it's raised like a human baby and then shuttled from one set of "parents" … Continue reading Project Nim
when curiosity threatens 